Conservative MEPs win campaign to axe 17 million pieces of red-tape a year

Plans to impose "burdensome, costly and time consuming" red-tape on consumers and courier companies have been avoided after a sustained campaign by two
Conservative MEPs.

The European Commission was asking for paperwork for every package that comes into the EU.

However, following an intervention by East of England MEP Vicky Ford and Daniel Dalton West Midlands MEP Daniel Dalton, packages with a value of £17
or €22 and under will now be exempt.

This is an estimated 17 million packages a year. The MEPs warned that it would lead to higher prices and adversely affect small courier and delivery
firms who would have been ‘swamped’ with paperwork.

“The proposals were burdensome, time-consuming and unworkable. It would have reduced the incentive to trade and the costs would have been passed onto
consumers in the form of higher prices" said Mr Dalton.

Mrs Ford added, “It is another victory for common sense as what we need is simpler, less bureaucratic and more effective customer systems and this
was not."